Shattered World
by SingleDarkShade
Summary: The world is wrong. Ruled over by a ruthless Queen who will destroy anyone and everyone to get what she wants. Except there is one standing in her way she can't kill. A few people have noticed how the world is not what it should be and are looking to fix it. Can they find the one who can put the world together again properly or are they walking towards their own destruction?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: One of the main Legends is the bad guy in this and I make no apologies.

Hope you enjoy.

* * *

He staggered through the streets, the bottle clutched in his hands almost empty meaning he needed a new one. It was the only thing that helped, the only thing that kept the visions and voices in his head silent.

The world was wrong.

It was obvious to him but when sober he couldn't focus long enough to work out what was wrong with it because of the noise that filled his brain. The only thing that helped with that was alcohol but when he was drunk he couldn't concentrate long enough to work it out.

Downing the last of the burning liquid, he'd long since forgotten what he was drinking, he tossed the bottle away listening to the sound of the glass smashing.

Continuing on he reached a door, the sounds coming from the other side let him know he'd found a pub. Pushing the door open someone moved him up the stairs to a small bedroom, several bottles were left on the table and he was left. Grabbing one of the bottles he collapsed tiredly onto the bed.

Downing the full bottle, he wished for respite from the noise and visions just for a little while, before he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Ray Palmer walked slowly through the streets of the city, he was almost sure it was once called Star City or possibly Central City, hoping that he was doing the right thing. It was only recently, after a slight accident in his lab, that he realised there was something wrong with the world.

It wasn't something he could put his finger on, but Ray knew that things were not the way they should be. As discreetly as possible he began to investigate finding a group on the internet that all seemed to see what he could.

They met once a week in an old church so here he was heading to join this group of people who possibly could all just be insane. But he needed to try something because it was driving him crazy the way no one else in his social circle seemed to see what he could.

Reaching his destination Ray stood far enough away so he could watch who entered the building, from what he could see they all seemed normal enough, but one caught his eye specifically. She walked into the church nervously playing with the necklace around her neck, it had a large red stone which Ray was sure he should be able to place but again there was a blank space.

Finally Ray plucked up the courage to walk into the building instantly met by a large man who gave him a piercing stare.

"I'm here to see Barry," Ray said, hoping the pass-phrase was right and he wasn't about to get kicked out on the street.

The mountain of a man nodded before stepping out the way and letting him inside.

x

Cisco sat in the corner of the room watching all the people who were coming in to his meeting, those who had found his thoughts on the wrongness of the world. His head hurt a lot these days, it felt like he should know but there was a block on him being able to work it out. It had taken him a three-day binge on caffeine and not sleeping for him to write a declaration on what he realised was wrong, which he couldn't recall since he'd finally slept. Cisco had reread his own work several times and, although he couldn't actually remember writing it, Cisco knew it was right.

A tall man with dark hair walked in and Cisco suddenly sat up a little straighter, this was someone he knew, or should know.

Looking around to see if anyone else who stuck out appeared Cisco frowned annoyed that there was no one, so refocussed on the man. A memory tried to flit across his mind but he couldn't catch it, the feeling from it was one of camaraderie and friendship.

Finally Adam nodded to him that there were no others coming in so Cisco moved to the front of the room. He looked at the people who were sitting there waiting wondering how many were actual believers and how many had just come for a chuckle.

"First thing first," Cisco stated, "If you are here to make fun of me or anyone who has come here because they believe that there is something wrong with this world then know that my friend on the door will remove you."

He waited and no one moved. Cisco didn't believe that everyone was actually a believer but if they wanted to get thrown out on their ear later then he had warned them.

"I won't give you my name and I don't expect to hear any of yours," Cisco continued, "If you need to call me anything then I go by Vibe. We're all here because we've noticed that this world is not right. Many of you will have noticed this but been unable to place what about it you find wrong."

Cisco watched the group nodding, his eyes focussed on the man with dark hair who was watching Cisco with wide eyes.

"I began noticing it about six months ago," Cisco continued, "This city should be bigger, this world should have more in it but for some reason it doesn't. I can't tell you what happened but I do know that I have memories of more cities, more countries but there are also people who don't belong here."

Cisco spotted a few of his audience jump slightly before he continued, "The world is not the only thing that's wrong. Time is wrong too. It's like it's been compressed."

"Horse and carts," the man he'd been watching said suddenly, embarrassment covering his face when he realised he'd spoken aloud.

Cisco nodded, "Precisely. How can we have horse and carts at the same time as cars and hovercrafts? They don't fit."

"What can we do?" a woman spoke up, she wore a necklace with a large red jewel, "The Queen has eyes and ears everywhere. I'm amazed we've been allowed to meet."

Several people nodded, worry in their eyes as they waited for the Queens guards to burst in at any moment.

"I can't guarantee anything," Cisco told them, "But honestly we're not exactly significant. Think what I put in the message, there's nothing to suggest we know anything other than the world is wrong."

There were more nods and Cisco decided that now was the best time to end the meeting.

x

Ray watched everyone leave the meeting, everyone except the woman he'd been watching earlier. She was holding her necklace, her fingers playing against the jewel as she sat deep in thought.

"You know," Vibe said, "I only have this place booked for the next five minutes. There's a yoga class about to come in."

"What you were saying," she said softly, "You're right."

Ray frowned, "What do you mean?"

He winced when the two of them turned to him, realising neither had known he was still there.

"I don't think I should be here," the woman whispered, "Nothing is right."

Vibe frowned for a moment, "Miss…"

"Zee," she gave as her pseudonym after a moment of hesitation.

They turned to Ray waiting for an introduction and, panicking slightly, he blurted out, "Atom."

Vibe gave him a bemused look before continuing, "I want to talk more but we can't stay here."

"There's a burger joint two blocks away," Ray told them, "Do you want to go there and talk?"

Zee and Vibe both paused for several moments before they nodded, almost in unison. Ray grinned and started them out the door, passing several women carrying yoga mats.

x

Zari wasn't sure why she'd agreed to join the two men for something to eat, she wasn't even sure why she'd come tonight but it had been annoying her weeks now. The world didn't fit what she felt it should. Scouring the internet she found Vibe's writings and, despite her misgivings, she'd come to the meeting.

She'd had no illusions that this would be anything but as she listened to the man who wrote the document that had brought her to the church Zari felt a chill slide down her spine.

Entering the restaurant, she ordered some fries and a water before they found a booth hidden in the corner. The three of them picked at their food in silence for several minutes before Zari took a deep breath.

"Okay," she said, "We came here for a reason. Atom, when did you first notice something was wrong?"

The tall man let out a long sigh, "I was working and made a little mistake which meant I was slammed into the wall. I had a concussion and suddenly I realised things didn't seem right. You?"

"I was in an accident," Zari told them, "I hit my head and when I woke up I saw it as well."

Vibe pursed his lips together in thought, "Interesting. A head injury is the common factor in all three of our discovering the truth."

"I don't think we can go around hitting people on the head," Atom noted, making Zari chuckle slightly.

Vibe laughed as well.

Zari finished her drink, "Is there anything we can do? I don't want to continue walking around knowing something is wrong with the world, but I also have no idea how to change it."

They sat in silence for several minutes before Vibe let out a sigh, "I didn't put everything I wrote online."

"Meaning?" she and Atom demanded.

Taking a long breath Vibe told them, "Meaning I have an idea where we begin to make things right."

Atom frowned, "Is it dangerous?"

"It might be," Vibe replied, "I know I said the Queen won't care about a gathering but if we start working against her then she will take notice." He paused before saying, "Why don't you take some time to think about it? We can meet here in three days here and you can give me your answer."

Zari turned to Atom who looked back at her with a slight grimace. Vibe finished his drink before he slid out the booth.

"Three days here in this restaurant at this time," he said, "Hopefully see you then."

* * *

The small room was a muted grey, there was no window and a small bed was shoved in the corner that the occupant hadn't been able to use for several days since she had been chained to the wall across from it.

"Tell me," the amused voice came as her captor walked through the door, "Have you decided to give me what I want now?"

Slowly raising her head, she glared at the blonde standing in the doorway with a superior smile covering her face, "I will not tell you anything, Miss Lance."

"I am your Queen, Gideon," Sara Lance corrected her eyes dark with anger, "You would do well to remember that."

Gideon winced when shifting tightened the chains attached to her wrists, "You are nothing but a murderer. You could have been so much more. I have seen another world, a world where you were a hero, where you fought the bloodlust and won."

Sara laughed at her, "A hero? You want me to be one of those idiots who spend their time trying to save a world that is doomed?"

Gideon said nothing.

"There's one thing you're forgetting, Gideon in your plea for me to be a hero," Sara said before breathing in her ear, "I like killing. I embraced the bloodlust and look at me now, a Queen."

Gideon glared at her before replying, "Begging for something from the only one you cannot kill."

Gideon's head snapped to the side when Sara slapped her, blood filling her mouth.

"You're not a disembodied voice anymore," Sara snarled, grabbing Gideon's hair yanking her head making her wince but she refused to make a noise, "You have a body, Gideon and until now I have been nice. You can feel pain and trust me when I tell you I know how to inflict it."

Gideon shook her head, "I will not give you the information. No matter what you do to me."

"Trust me, Gideon," Sara snarled, "You will give me what I want. It's been two years, no one is coming to save you."

When the woman walked out leaving Gideon alone, she allowed herself to acknowledge the pain. She had always wondered what it would be like to be human, she had never thought she would find it out this way.

She felt the loss of her ship, it was like one of her limbs had been removed, and she missed her Captain deeply. He had made a sacrifice she was so proud of him for, but it also meant he would not be able to come for her.

Gideon was alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Sara Lance, Queen and benevolent Overlord of all, sat in front of her dressing table while her golden hair was brushed. The woman wielding the hairbrush was meant to be a part of the Central City heroes and Sara found it amusing that she was now merely a servant. One who served Sara's every whim.

"Enough," Sara halted the activity, "Iris, you can leave now and perform your other duties."

Nervously the other woman placed the hairbrush down in its proper place, before she hurried away. Amusement filled Sara as she watched, Iris West once a kick-ass journalist who threw herself off a building while people shot at her just to get a story, meekly follow orders. Once so brave now she would barely lift her head unless told to.

Sara knew the fact she had Joe and Wally West in her power helped keep the other woman in line. Both were kept under guard, but Joe knew how to cook so Sara had put him to work in the kitchen. Making sure he knew that everything he cooked was tasted by his son before it got anywhere near her.

Leaving her room Sara walked to her throne room. It allowed her to look over her entire domain which, once she got what she wanted, would be much bigger than it currently was.

She just needed to break the former AI.

The woman had resisted all attempts to make her talk. Sara knew how to inflict pain but she had been reluctant to do so because Sara wasn't sure what would happen if she tortured the woman. Gideon seemed to have the ability to leave her body whenever she didn't like the conversation, something Sara had seen during her training for the League of Assassins.

What she needed was someone or something that Gideon treasured above everything else, but she didn't know what that could be. She knew very little about the AIs the Time Masters used in their ships and had no idea why this specific one had become human.

Sara knew that she needed an expert but finding one of the Time Masters that had survived had proven extremely difficult. They had all disappeared into the city and she'd had no luck trying to trace them.

What she needed was a way to lure one of them to her but she currently didn't know what that was.

x

Sara entered her throne room, the Lazarus Pit sitting ready for her to slide into. The guards standing there didn't move a muscle when she sauntered past, sliding her robe off before she walked into warm water.

Taking a breath Sara submerged herself in the waters that had brought her back to life once and now she used them to prolong her rule over the insignificant.

One of her first acts when she took over the world was to kill Ras-Al-Ghul before taking his place as the leader of the League of Assassins. They were now her loyal guards, with one exception which hurt despite her attempts to lock away any feelings she had.

When she emerged from the waters, the towel was wrapped around her by one of her other loyal servants.

"Mr Snart," she purred, "I hope you bring something other than a towel with you."

Leonard Snart smirked slightly, "News."

"Of?" she asked, enjoying the banter at the moment but if he didn't get to the point soon she would stop enjoying it.

"There has been a sighting," Snart told her, "Not far from here. Mick and I are ready to retrieve your old friend the moment you give the word."

Sara mused over this as she dried herself before allowing Snart to slide her robe on her, "How long has he been there?"

"From the information we received," Snart replied, "Six weeks."

"Set up surveillance," Sara ordered, "He can give me what I want but it will be less trouble to let him lead us to it than trying to force the location from him."

Snart nodded, "You got it."

"However," Sara stopped him from leaving, "There are some prisoners of no use to me in the cells. If Mr Rory feels the need to burn something."

Giving her a quick nod, Snart left and Sara smiled to herself. She knew they would be useful to her and, as usual, they proved it.

* * *

Cisco wasn't expecting them to come. He was sure they'd both pretend they'd never gone to the meeting.

But he'd still arrived an hour earlier than the agreed time.

He was on his second burger when the door opened and the man who'd called himself Atom walked in. Looking around the room he spotted Cisco and waved hello. Atom ordered himself some food and a drink, sliding into the booth Cisco was sitting in once he had it.

"Hi," Atom grinned, "I wasn't sure you'd be here. What about Zee?"

Cisco shrugged, "Not here yet but she's still got ten minutes."

He nodded, "I'll admit I wasn't sure about coming here today but I needed to know more."

"Good," Cisco murmured softly, taking a long drink.

They sat in silence for ten minutes, then for the next fifteen before Cisco sighed, "I guess it's just the two of us."

Before Atom could reply the door opened and Zee hurried in, relief covering her face finding the two men sitting there.

She bought a bottle of water before sliding into the booth beside Atom, "Sorry. There was an accident which held me up."

Cisco nodded, "I'm glad you both came."

Zee took a quick drink, "So, what did you not put in the message?"

"What do you know about Time Travel and Alternate Universes?"

x

Ray frowned at the question the other man asked, "I know the theories but it's science fiction."

Vibe shook his head, "Normally I would agree with you but when I wrote about the world being wrong part of my note also explained not only about the ability to move to other universes but also through time."

Wincing slightly, Zee asked, "You did say you were very sleep deprived and had drank a lot of coffee when you wrote it."

"True," Vibe replied, "But, everything else made sense."

Ray chewed on one of his chips as he thought, "Okay," he finally said, "Considering we know that something is wrong with time then I suppose time travel isn't too far out of the box but other worlds, just slightly different from ours," he shook his head sighing, "I can't believe that."

"Forget about the other worlds," Vibe told them, "The thing that is important is time travel. According to what I wrote there was supposedly an organisation called the Masters of Time who watched over time making sure things like this didn't happen."

"Then someone screwed up," Zee noted blandly.

Ray nodded in agreement.

"I know," Vibe sighed, "I don't think they exist anymore, but what I wrote mentioned a small group of them hiding something," Vibe continued to explain, "As well as a man who carries the hope to fix things."

Zee rolled her eyes, "There's nothing we can do if the time travelling organisation couldn't do anything."

Vibe winced, "Actually I'm thinking of redoing my experiment and seeing what else I can learn. Maybe even find this man."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Ray asked concerned, "From what you've said you were ill for days after it."

"I know," Vibe replied, "But I want to learn more about what I've already seen, and I think I can."

Ray folded him arms before nodding," But we do this together. From now on you don't do something that could potentially put you in hospital without some supervision."

Vibe frowned, glancing at Zee who folded her arms in solidarity with Ray and sighed.

"Alright," the younger man said, "Are either of you busy now?" At the other two shaking their head, Vibe nodded, "Then let's go."

* * *

Gideon lay on the bed in her cell, Sara had finally allowed her to be released from the chains.

Her arms ached from being held to the wall, but she had managed to find a position where her shoulders weren't filled with fire.

"The Queen wants to see you," one of the guards said.

Gideon didn't move, "Then she can come to me."

Listening to the cell door opening, Gideon couldn't stop her cry when she was unceremoniously yanked off the bed pain shooting through her back and shoulders. Gideon was dragged along the corridor, her feet scrambling on the floor to trying to get them under her again. She was thrown onto the floor in front of a throne where the self-professed Queen sat watching her amused.

"You wanted to see me?" Gideon forced out, keeping her voice steady as though she were on her ship simply answering a call from her Captain.

Sara leaned forward, "I thought we could have our discussion in a slightly different setting. Get you out of that room for a while."

"You mean cell," Gideon replied, "And I was quite comfortable. It was also a waste of your people's energy since my answer is still the same."

Sara laughed, "I thought it might be. I have decided to change tactics concerning you."

"Torture?" Gideon asked, amazed her voice stayed steady.

Shrugging Sara moved closer, "No. I can't risk your life and considering the way previous conversations have gone with you, you will annoy me enough I may accidentally kill you. Instead I have another idea."

Gideon forced herself to remain calm, "Which is?"

A slow smile covered Sara's face, "I am going to give you two more days to tell me what I want to know. If by then you still won't give me an answer I will choose two people from my subjects and you will watch as my guards kill them."

Horror filled Gideon.

"If after that you still won't tell me then the same will happen to two more every two hours," Sara continued, "Allowing for some variety of how they die of course. I don't want you to get bored."

Before Gideon could make any kind of reply she was dragged out of the room and thrown back into her cell. Crawling onto the bed, Gideon pulled the pillow to her feeling tears fill her eyes.

"Captain," she whispered, "Please tell me what to do, please help me because I can't tell her about you, but I can't watch her kill people because of me."

As silence answered her Gideon buried her head in the pillow and cried.

* * *

Peeling open his eyes Rip lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. This was the only moment of respite he received, in that few seconds between being asleep and awake. The second he moved, even slightly it would begin again.

Reaching out he found the half-empty bottle of whiskey sitting on the bedside cabinet, he took a long swig the burn in his throat distracting from the assault of his mind. Rip sensed someone in the room with him but didn't care who it was or why they were there. He briefly felt a hand gently touch his forehead before the other person was gone again.

It took several minutes but the smell of food finally entered his senses and, forcing himself to sit up, Rip devoured the two rolls filled with sausages that had been left for him.

Finishing the bottle, he grabbed a full one before staggering out the room, he needed to be out in the world.

x

Eve Baxter stood watching Rip leave the building, the bottle in his hand and the glazed look in his eyes. The man at her side was about to make a move to stop him but stalled when Eve caught his arm.

"You're just letting him leave?" Tollan demanded, "Considering what's in his head…"

"We tried that at the beginning," Eve explained, "He became violent towards everyone, including himself. He'll find his way to one of us by the end of the night. We make sure he has food as well as a place to rest safely."

"And more alcohol," the man frowned disapproval in his voice.

Eve shook her head, "Without it he curls in a corner and screams."

Tollan continued to frown.

"Rip knew the risks when he took it on," Eve reminded her colleague, "All we can do is care for him and make sure she can't find out about him."

Sighing Tollan noted, "He wouldn't have had to do it if the council hadn't become corrupt. If we had noticed sooner."

Eve nodded, "We did our best, we just have to do better now. Once you've had something to eat, get back to work."

Tollan nodded before noting, "If we could get to the Vanishing Point then we be able to assist him properly. We'd have the medical equipment to sedate him and maybe find something that can truly help."

"But we have no way there," Eve stated coldly, "Unless you've come up with an idea. And we're doing all we can to help Rip with what we've got."

He frowned again but knew there was nothing further he could say. He turned and watched Rip Hunter, the one who held the key to saving everything, stumble along the street talking to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

"Ignore the mess," Cisco said as he led his two new…they weren't friends more like accomplices or co-conspirators into his lab, "I didn't really expect guests."

Atom laughed, "It's actually tidier than mine."

Zee rolled her eyes, grimacing when she picked up a coffee mug seeing mould in the bottom. Cisco grabbed it from her.

"I don't get many visitors," he told her as he threw it into the small sink on the other side of the room.

"I can see that," Zee replied, picking up several papers and books from a chair, dropping them in a corner and sliding onto it to sit.

Atom followed her example and they both looked at Cisco expectantly. He felt panic fill him wondering what the hell he was doing, he wasn't meant to be a leader. He didn't take charge of things, he was the ideas man or the one who made things for others to use. Taking a long deep breath Cisco knew he had no choice but to take control of the situation he had somehow found himself in.

"Okay," he said, "I didn't sleep well last night anyway so we're already into the beginning of my cycle of insanity."

Zee grimaced, "We need a new name for that."

Cisco chuckled slightly, "The way I did this the last time was a lot of coffee and video games."

"Then I'll start the coffee," Atom told them.

Zee grinned, "What do you have to play?"

x

They were several hours into the experiment and Cisco was wondering if there was a better way to do this. Zee and Atom were doing their best to keep him going, even if the fact Zee kept beating them at every video game he had was putting him off playing them.

The buzzer sounding let him know that their pizzas had arrived, Cisco bounced up passing his controller to Atom. He took the three boxes off the delivery boy and handed him the cash. As the delivery boy stepped back, a man staggering along the street caught Cisco's eye. About to head back inside Cisco was surprised when the guy, who from the smell of him was drunk or had bathed in alcohol, suddenly pushed through the door.

"Hey," Cisco cried, frowning at the way the guy headed directly to the lab.

"What the hell is going on?" Atom demanded as he and Zee jumped up in surprise at the intrusion.

The crazy guy wandered around the lab, picking up things randomly before tossing them away and moving on.

"Hey," Cisco started stalling when crazy guy turned, the green eyes boring into him.

Crazy guy turned back to the bench, Cisco saw that he'd picked up one of the projects he'd started during his last bout of insomnia but had no idea what it was for.

"Who the hell is he?" Zee asked as they moved to join Cisco watching the crazy guy.

"And what is he doing?" Atom spoke up.

Shaking his head Cisco breathed, "No idea."

"Why not stop him?" Zee demanded.

Cisco shrugged again not able to voice why he was letting crazy guy play with his stuff but there was something about him.

They stood and watched crazy guy as he picked things up, tossing some away while using others on the device he was working on. After about thirty minutes he stopped working, picking up what looked like a brooch and pushed the button in the centre.

The three of them stared in amazement at the portal that opened up before them suddenly.

"What the hell is this?" Zee breathed in astonishment, gently reaching out to check it was real.

Atom shook his head, "I think it's a breach in space and time," he shook his head in amazement, "I know the theories but I…"

Before they could say anything else crazy guy pushed them from behind and they fell through. Cisco bounced round to the portal watching crazy guy stagger through behind them before it snapped shut.

"We're in trouble."

x

"Where the hell are we?" Zee demanded as she looked around the grey corridor with several doors on either side.

Atom grimaced, "I have a guess and I don't think it's a good place for us to be."

Cisco nodded, frowning as he watched crazy guy start moving from door to door looking for something, "Let's see where he goes. Since he got us here, hopefully he'll get us out."

They followed on behind crazy guy who was muttering to himself, he seemed to be looking for something specific, but Cisco couldn't work out what it possibly could be.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Atom said, "We need to find a way back to the lab."

Cisco turned to him, "How?"

"Hello?" a woman's voice called, making them turn to the door just behind them, "I can hear you out there. If you're not meant to be here you have to leave now. If you're caught here then they will put you in a cell, if you're lucky."

Crazy guy stalled in his tracks, heading to the door he shoved Atom to one side to get to the door controls. It took him less than a minute to unlock it and he pushed the door open. Cisco followed on with Atom and Zee watching as crazy guy staggered to the woman who had been imprisoned in the cell. Dropping to his knees in front of her crazy guy wrapped his arms around her and sighed in relief.

"Gideon."

x

Gideon couldn't believe her eyes as the door to her cell opened and her Captain walked through. He staggered to her and dropped to his knees in front of her, she felt his arms wrap around her as he breathed her name.

Coaxing him to a stand Gideon rested her hand on his cheek, "Hello, Captain. I have missed you."

"Help me," he whispered desperately, "Please, Gideon I need your help. It hurts so much."

"I know," she soothed, "But now we're together again it will get better." Turning to the three people watching them in confusion she smiled in greeting as she kept one arm around Rip, "Mr Ramon, Dr Palmer, Miss Tomaz, it is a pleasure to see you all once more."

They all looked at her confused before Ray asked, "How do you know my name?"

"An explanation will be much better done once we leave this place," Gideon told them, "And we need to leave now."

She frowned at the grimaces on the faces in front of her.

"He brought us here," Cisco explained pointing to Rip, "And the way here closed not long after."

Gideon grimaced, "And you are not able to open a breach?"

"A what?" he asked confused.

Frowning Gideon looked at her Captain who was still holding onto her, "Rip, you need to return Mr Ramon's memories to him."

Cisco looked at her worried, "What?"

"Captain, now," Gideon ordered sharply before Cisco could move away.

Before Cisco could protest anymore Rip's hand shot out and wrapped around Cisco's wrist tightly. Cisco began to shake, his eyes widening while Ray and Zari tried to pull him free. After a few minutes Rip released his grip and Cisco doubled over gasping for breath.

"Are you okay?" Zari and Ray demanded.

Cisco straightened and sighed, "Okay, that was intense. Gideon, how are you here like this? What is going on?"

"Again, we need to leave here before we discuss anything," she told him, "Can you open a breach now?"

He nodded, "But I'm guessing we've been caught on camera which means they'll know who we are so we can't go back to my lab."

"The Waverider is the safest place for us," she noted.

Cisco nodded again, "True, but I have no idea where that is."

"I do," Gideon offered her free hand. Cisco took it, closing his eyes before opening a breach.

"What is that?" Zari asked worriedly.

"Somewhere safe," Cisco told her, "Trust me."

Although they both looked worried Zari and Ray walked through the breach, Gideon turned to Rip and moved him through before Cisco followed them.

x

Gideon let out a sigh of relief to be home once more. Her connection to the Waverider re-established the moment she stepped onboard. Thankfully Cisco had brought them to the infirmary and she moved her Captain to the medical couch gently stroking his cheek to soothe him.

"Mr Ramon," Gideon turned to him noticing the looks of amazement on the faces of the other two as they stared around, "Please escort Dr Palmer and Miss Tomaz to the kitchen. Have something to eat and drink while I ensure Captain Hunter is healthy. I will join you to answer all questions as soon as I can."

Cisco nodded and started the other two moving, dodging questions from them. The doors closed allowing Gideon to focus on her Captain.

She slid the cuff on his wrist and quickly activating the scan, frowning at what she could see.

"Captain, you have not been taking care of yourself," Gideon said sternly, "Why have you drank so much?"

"It hurts, Gideon," Rip sighed softly, "It won't stop hurting. Drinking made it hurt less for a while."

Pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead, Gideon smiled, "Now we're together it will be better. I promise."

"Gideon…"

"Just rest for now, Captain," she injected a sedative into him before she started the detox, "Relax and we can talk once you're feeling better."

As he drifted off to sleep Gideon sighed in relief to be back with him and safe on their ship where the Queen could not find her. Sure that her Captain was comfortable, Gideon left the medical bay and started through the corridors to join her three guests.

x

Cisco leaned back in the chair drinking his hot chocolate watching Zari and Ray as they nervously looked around. With his memory back, he at least had an idea where he was while they were both completely confused.

"Good, you managed to get something," Gideon stated as she walked into the room.

Which was another thing confusing Cisco since he was sure that she was meant to an AI and not human.

"I should introduce myself," she said, "I am Gideon, I was the Artificial Intelligence that runs the Waverider. Dr Palmer, Miss Tomaz, I am sure that you are both confused."

"That's a bit of an understatement," Zari noted.

"But I shall do my best to answer all your questions," Gideon continued, she fetched herself some tea and took a seat.

"I've got one," Cisco said, "How did this happen because I know for a fact you weren't always human and then there's Sara. What the hell happened to her?"

Gideon took a deep breath, "A time aberration allowed Vandal Savage to escape and he used his knowledge to track down Miss Lance. He found her before Captain Hunter recruited her to the team. Somehow, he persuaded her to embrace her bloodlust and planned with her help to take over the Vanishing Point."

Cisco could see the other two still looked total bemused but ignored them for the moment while he got the answers he needed. He'd explain it to them later.

"I'm guessing that didn't happen," he mused.

"The younger Time Masters discovered that the council were working with Vandal Savage," Gideon continued, "By this point of course Miss Lance had betrayed Savage, assuming his plan to use the Occulus to take over the universe and rule everyone."

"Which happened," Cisco sighed,

"Actually no," Gideon told him, "Although it may look like that to you, the Time Master Captains managed to hide the Occulus but in doing this created the world that you know now."

Cisco mused this over for several minutes before noting, "Still doesn't explain why you're suddenly human."

Gideon smiled sadly, "Hiding the Occulus was not an easy thing to do. The only way to do so was for one of the Captains to absorb it. Captain Hunter, as one of the more experienced Captains, volunteered. When he absorbed the energy, it also brought me here."

"So, what do we do?" Cisco demanded.

Gideon sighed, "I'm afraid I don't know."


	4. Chapter 4

Leonard Snart walked into his quarters in the palace smiling slightly in relief that his sister was there. He knew that neither of them had done anything that could make the queen angry but there were days she lashed out without reason.

"Hey," Lisa said, nodding to the table, "I left you some dinner."

Giving her a quick nod, his eyes automatically drifted to the collar around her neck and the small green light showing.

She frowned at him, "Stop it. I'm fine."

"As long as I do what she wants," Leonard noted darkly.

Moving to his, side Lisa rested her hand on his shoulder for a moment before giving him a quick smile.

"I have to go clean," she reminded him, "Eat and get some rest. You never know what she will need you to do tomorrow."

"Be careful," he said softly, "You know…"

"I do."

Without another word she slipped out the door leaving him alone. Letting out a long sigh Leonard dropped his jacket on the small couch before sitting at the table. Eating his dinner, he rubbed the bridge of his nose against the headache he could feel sitting there.

Hopefully it would go away quickly.

Then again considering there was something completely wrong with the world Leonard doubted it would until he could find a way to fix things.

He shook his head at his own thoughts, nothing could fix this mess. He just had to survive it and make sure Lisa did too.

x

Leonard stood watching the guards raid the house. They had been tipped off that a group were meeting with the sole intent of harming the Queen.

He frowned as he watched the three adults from the house being dragged out while the kids screamed after them.

"Sir," one of the guards appeared at his side, "We have proof that they meant harm to the Queen."

Leonard nodded, seeing the kids being pushed into the back of a car, "Send them to the dungeons and put the kids in the care home. They'll be raised to serve the Queen properly unlike their traitorous parents."

The guard nodded back. Leonard hated himself for participating in this, but his only choice was to serve the Queen or watch his sister die.

Returning to the palace for his next mission he frowned at the chaos that met him.

"Iris," he stopped the Queen's personal maid, "What happened?

Shaking her head, Iris confided, "The one the Queen calls her 'special prisoner' has escaped."

Leonard stared at her stunned, "Missing? How? The dungeon is inescapable, I checked it myself."

Iris sighed, "I don't know. All I know is when she went down to talk to the prisoner this morning the cell was open and empty."

Letting out a long sigh Leonard knew that this was not going to be good for anyone. He motioned Iris to get going, the last thing she needed was to anger the Queen any more than she already was.

Taking a deep breath Leonard headed to the throne room, walking in just as the Queen snapped the neck of one of the guards of the prison.

"My Queen," he bowed trying to ignore the dead body lying just in front of him.

She turned on him, "Didn't you assure me that my dungeon was impossible to escape from?"

"I did," he replied, "I used everything I know to check it. If you allow me to look at the footage, I can hopefully tell you what actually happened."

She stared at Leonard, her blue eyes ice cold as they bore into him for several minutes before she nodded, "Find out what happened, Mr Snart."

He gave a slight bow turning to leave, he paused when the Queen called his name.

"If you fail to find me information," she said when he glanced back, "Your sister will pay the price."

Stiffening slightly, Leonard bowed again and left.

x

The guard at the stairs to the tower bowed low as Sara swept past him. Marching up the stairs she paused at the top to take a breath and centre herself before she glanced in the mirror sitting there to fix her hair.

Opening the door, she smiled to see the woman sitting in one corner reading a book.

"What do you want?" Nyssa demanded not looking up from her book.

Sara frowned, "That is not the way to address your queen."

"You are not my queen," Nyssa replied, still staring at her page, "You were my beloved and now you are my jailer. If you are here to finally kill me then do it otherwise leave so I can finish my book."

Annoyance filled her so Sara snatched the book from Nyssa's hands, "My special prisoner has escaped, the one who I need and only you have the ability to get one of the guards to release her."

Nyssa stood and moved to the bookshelf picking up another book, "Why would I do that? I have no interest in anything you do, Sara. Not anymore."

"I could have you killed for this," Sara snarled at her.

Shaking her head Nyssa sat in her chair once more, "If you wish. My beloved died a long time ago, I would simply be joining her."

Throwing the book on the table, Sara marched out the room slamming the door behind her.

Snart better have answers for her.

* * *

Rip opened his eyes slowly, seeing that he was in the medical bay of a Timeship and for the first time in a long time his mind was calm. Unhooking the medical cuff Rip sat up and looked around, realising with relief that he was on the Waverider.

"Gideon?" he called.

"I'm here, Captain," she replied, her welcome voice filling the room around him, "How do you feel?"

"Better," Rip sighed.

"That is good," Gideon said just before the door to the infirmary opened and she walked in.

Rip stared at her, sliding off the couch to meet her, "How? How are you human? Am I dreaming?"

Reaching out Gideon gently rested her hand on his cheek, "You're not dreaming, Rip. I am human. Although I do still control the Waverider."

"How?" he asked again, leaning into her hand.

Gideon gave him a soft smile, "When you absorbed the Occulus the energy was too much for only you to contain. Our bond allowed the extra energy to syphon off and my physical form was created to support you."

Anguish covered Rip's face, "We abandoned you?"

"You had no way to know, Rip," Gideon soothed, "None of you did. Taking on the power of the Occulus the way you did was something no one has ever done before. There was no way of knowing the consequences," she frowned slightly, "It was reckless of you to do it."

Rip shook his head, "We had no other choice. Besides I was the best the choice considering my background."

"I know," Gideon sighed moving over to check his scans, "I have removed all traces of alcohol from your body and repaired the damage it was doing to your organs. You need to eat something."

Rip reached out and caught her arm, stopping her from leaving, "Did she hurt you?"

Gideon gave him a smile and squeezed his hand, "She knew she couldn't as only I could give her access to what she wanted."

He frowned that she hadn't answered his question, "Gideon?"

"The only thing that hurt was that she kept me from you," Gideon told him, "I knew you needed me, and I was hidden away."

Resting his forehead against hers, Rip gently stroked her arms comfortingly, "I found you though. I knew I needed something, something that would stop the pain in my head but I didn't know what it was. Then I saw Cisco one day. So, I followed him which led me to you."

She gave him another smile wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. After several minutes Rip extricated himself from her embrace and stepped back, knowing getting emotionally involved right now was not something he could do.

"Where are our guests?" he asked, sliding back into Captain mode.

"I gave them each a room to rest in," Gideon told him, "They will be meeting for breakfast soon. Are you joining them?"

Rip nodded, "Since I need to eat."

"Then we should join them."

x

Ray's brain was in overdrive.

He was on some kind of space ship after moving from Vibe…no Cisco's lab to what he was sure was the dungeon below Queen's palace and then here. All through breaches within time and space.

The beautiful woman they'd sprung from the cell who then told them she used to be the computer for the ship really threw him. Once she and Cisco had finished talking, she basically ordered them to get some rest. Ray was surprised by how both he and Zee, or Zari, as her name had turned out to be both followed the order without much arguing.

Sleep hadn't come easy as he tried to make sense of everything, but he finally had managed to get a few hours.

Leaving the room Ray walked slowly through the corridors back to the kitchen they'd been in the night before to get something to eat.

"Morning," Zari greeted him, sitting eating a doughnut, "This thing makes whatever you want. It's incredible."

With a shrug Ray tried himself and got some coffee with a stack of blueberry pancakes.

"This is incredible," Ray said through a mouthful of pancakes and syrup.

Zari chuckled and continued to eat her doughnut.

x

Cisco stood just outside the kitchen where Ray and Zari were having breakfast, he'd slept well. Getting his memories back had made him feel much better because he no longer felt that he was missing something. The headache he usually woke with wasn't there for the first time in what felt like forever and Cisco actually felt great.

"Good morning, Mr Ramon," Gideon's voice came from behind him.

Cisco turned to see her walking towards him with the former crazy guy, "Morning, Gideon and Captain Rip Hunter, it's nice to finally meet you."

Rip Hunter nodded, "And you Mr Ramon. Apologies for our original meeting."

Cisco laughed, "No problem. Thanks for fixing my memories, it's good to know I'm not crazy."

"Me too," Rip replied.

Gideon rolled her eyes at him.

"So, now you're up and about," Cisco said, "Can you return Ray and Zari's memories as well?"

"I'm afraid he can't," Gideon told him apologetically, "It was only due to your meta-abilities that Rip could use the Oculus energy to return your memory and powers."

Grimacing, Cisco mused it over, "We should find somewhere safe for them then. If they don't remember anything it would probably be safer for them both if we send them back home."

"Except they will appear on the security camera feed for the prison," Rip noted, "The Waverider is the safest place for both. Besides considering their skills, we may need their help."

Gideon nodded in agreement motioning them forward, "Before anything else you both need to eat." As they were about to protest she frowned at them ordering, "Now."

"Wow, she is scary," Cisco murmured to Rip as they headed into the kitchen.

Rip nodded, "Oh, you have no idea."


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: There is an explanation in this chapter. I hope it makes sense.

Enjoy.

* * *

 _Rip stopped at the door and fired at the people chasing them, Eve Baxter joining him to defend the room while the other eight Time Master Captains dived through the door and into safety._

" _Okay," Eve took charge the moment they were all there, "We need a plan and fast."_

 _Silence answered her making her roll her eyes as Rip joined them once he'd sealed the room, he nodded to let her know it was safe for the moment._

" _What about the council?" Morse asked._

" _The council are the ones who got us into this mess," Eve snapped at him, "It's up to us now."_

 _An annoyed sigh came from across the room, Nadiya Cole stepped forward, "I have an idea but it is very dangerous and desperate."_

" _Dangerous and desperate is pretty much all we have," Rip noted._

 _Nadiya nodded before explaining, "We have to hide the Oculus because that is what they need to take over everything."_

" _Hiding it is not exactly easy," Jai Tollan spoke up, "It's not like we can put it in a box."_

 _Nadiya rolled her eyes at him before replying, "But we can put it in someone."_

" _What?" they all demanded._

 _She took a quick breath, "I have studied this energy and I've done the calculations several times since we got in here. All of us have travelled in time for a good part of our lives, it's possible that our physiology can accept the energy and hold it. Which is the important part."_

 _Silence filled the room for a moment before Eve spoke up, "Presumably it would be best for whoever does this to be the most experienced."_

" _That's between you and Rip," Nadiya stated._

 _Eve volunteered instantly, "I'll do it."_

 _Rip shook his head, "I would be better. You're needed to lead the others, beside I have a slightly better chance of accepting the energy."_

" _Why?"_

 _At the challenge Rip winced, "Because it turns out my father was also a time traveller."_

" _What?"_

 _At the cries of astonishment, he shrugged, "We don't exactly have the time. Cole, can you do this?"_

" _I have no idea what this will do to you," Nadiya said softly, "You could end up in a coma, if you're lucky."_

 _Rip shrugged, "You're the best at what you do, Cole. I trust you've run all the numbers accurately."_

 _She nodded._

" _Then we do it," Rip replied, "And if it overloads my mind, I trust you to keep me safe."_

 _Eve let out a soft sigh before assuring, "We will."_

x

Hanging up the phone Eve grimaced.

"What's wrong?" Tollan asked, "Why was Cole calling?"

After checking to make sure no one in the bar was able to overhear them, Eve replied, "Rip is missing."

"What do you mean missing?"

Eve shook her head in annoyance, "In the past few years, every night he has found one of us instinctively knowing he was safe to rest. No one saw him last night. Nadiya checked with everyone."

Fear filled the man's eyes, "Does the Queen have him?"

"I don't know," Eve grimaced, "But we're going to have to get together and make a plan just in case."

The front door opened and several of the palace guards trooped in looking for a drink after their shift.

"Go," Eve told Tollan, she put a smile on her face and walked over to her customers, "Gentlemen, what can I get you?"

* * *

Gideon sat quietly as she watched her Captain and their guests finish their breakfast. She had eaten earlier so simply made herself some tea while they ate.

This had been her dream from the moment she awoke as a human. To be on her ship with her Captain. Unfortunately, they didn't have time to relax and be in one another's company because they had work to do.

"I hope everyone slept well," Gideon spoke up, making them all turn to her.

Ray shrugged, "It was okay."

Zari simply nodded.

"I am afraid we have things to do," she continued, "To restore the world to the way it should be."

"How can we do that?" Ray asked.

Cisco sighed, "He has a point."

Gideon turned to Rip who let out a long sigh, "Captain Hunter?"

"Basically we need to be able to take back the Vanishing Point in order to restore the Oculus to it's rightful place," Rip told them, "That will let us reset the world. In order to do any of that we need to incapacitate the Queen's army, so we can remove Sara Lance from her position of power."

"Do you have any kind of plan in order to do that?" Cisco asked.

Rip grimaced slightly, "There are other Time Masters within the city, they have been putting together a network for this fight. We need to contact them first. There will also be certain people within the city who knew Miss Lance before she started this cycle who should agree to help."

He paused and grimaced slightly making Gideon frown.

"Is there something else, Captain?" she asked.

Rip sighed, "I have an idea that might be slightly insane."

Cisco began to laugh, "What isn't about this whole thing?"

"What's your plan?" Zari spoke up, a thoughtful look on her face.

"We retrieve Sara Lance from her past to stop the Queen," Rip told them.

Cisco, Ray and Zari all stared at him confused, they swapped several glances on occasion one of them almost spoke but thought better of it before finally Cisco was the one to break the silence.

"Do you want to explain that one for the rest of the class?" he demanded, "Sara Lance is the Queen, won't that cause some kind of paradox? And if we can do it why will retrieving her from the past not stop the Queen itself?"

"The insanity of time travel," Rip said with an amused laugh.

"Captain," Gideon scolded him sharply.

Looking suitably chastised he took a quick drink of water before explaining, "Unfortunately, because of what we did with the Oculus, which led to the creation of the world we've all been existing in, means that won't happen."

"Does anyone else's head hurt again?" Zari asked.

"I don't blame you," Rip told her with a smile, "Alright, Cisco can you take Dr Palmer and Miss Tomaz to the lab. Show them the ATOM suit schematics, we may need it."

"What about you?" Cisco asked.

"I need to contact the other Time Master Captains."

x

Rip entered his bedroom and lifted the watch sitting on the bedside cabinet to look at the people he loved, the ones he'd lost.

"Captain," Gideon said as the door opened.

With his eyes still on Miranda and Jonas, Rip motioned her inside.

"I know what you're going to say," Rip said softly, turning when she touched his cheek, "I am well aware of what happens when we fix everything."

"Rip," she whispered.

"I can see it all," he closed his eyes for a moment leaning into her touch, "I can trace timelines and see the outcome of the choices I made. I can see who Jonas would have become if I had been good enough to save him."

Gideon sniffed slightly as tears appeared in her eyes, "You did everything you could, Captain."

"I knew that this would be hard, Gideon," Rip whispered, "The power of the Oculus is inside me and I know what I can do with it."

"But?"

"But," he continued at her encouragement, "I'd be no better than the people we hid it from if I did." Rip took Gideon's hand in his, "And I would always know what I did to get them back. I couldn't live with that."

Sighing sadly she gripped his hand tightly, "What happens to me once we return things to the way they should be."

"You don't know?" he asked.

She smiled sweetly at him, "I am your support, Captain. I do not have access to the Oculus energies the way you do. There are only certain things I know."

Squeezing her hand tightly Rip shrugged, "You will return with the others to where you belong."

"That was what I was afraid of," Gideon whispered.

Shaking his head Rip rested his forehead against hers, "Don't be. You'll always be my Gideon no matter how our paths diverge."

* * *

"Well?"

Leonard turned to find the Queen standing there, waiting for answers. He bowed quickly before turning back to the screen.

"Checking the camera footage," he said motioning her to join him, "There was a strange disturbance within the prison corridor. Four people arrived through it, they entered the cell of your prisoner after a few minutes but none of them leave it."

She frowned, "So how did they escape?"

"I am assuming exactly the same way they arrived," Leonard replied, "Whoever opened the disturbance the first time probably did it again."

The Queen mused on this for several minutes in silence while Leonard waited quietly not sure which way she would jump.

"Get Mr Rory," she ordered finally, "I want you to retrieve my old friend. If this is who I think it is then I can't wait for him to lead us to her."

Leonard bowed and started out the room to retrieve Mick. Part of him was concerned that someone had managed to infiltrate the palace but another part, the same part that told him his headaches were connected to something, made him think this was something possibly positive.

The man they were after was easy to find, they'd had him under surveillance so knew exactly where he was. Leonard was prepared for the fight he put up when they came for him and had made sure to have sedative darts.

They dragged him, semi-conscious to the palace and dropped him in front of the Queen's throne.

Standing she smiled down at the man on his knees before her, "Hello, Ollie."

Oliver Queen glared at her in silence.

"Now, I have one very simple question for you," she smiled at him, "I have a computer problem and there is one person who can help. So where is Felicity?"


End file.
